I’m Vitalii, a product designer who helps complex products grow

I spent more than a decade at Textmagic, leading product design as an SMS tool grew into a broader communications platform.

I like working on established B2B products. They come with loyal users, complicated workflows and decisions made years ago. I enjoy untangling that history, talking to customers and working with Product and Engineering on changes that actually fit.

Warsaw, Poland · On-site · Hybrid · Remote

Portrait of Vitalii Stepanenko
Hey, this is me :)

EXPERIENCE

TextmagicSenior Product DesignerMay 2015 – Jan 2026 · 10+ years

Led product design as Textmagic grew from an SMS tool into a communications platform for 25,000+ customers. I helped shape its UX direction, built the design system, and designed messaging, campaigns, automation and reporting.

CallFactorySenior Product Designer · Part-timeMar 2026 – present

I work with the founders on cloud telephony, from call routing and IVR to AI-assisted call workflows. We use customer feedback to shape and test ideas, and I set up a shared design system for the product and website.

mysupplySenior Product Designer · Part-timeMar 2026 – present

I work with Product and enterprise customers on AI-assisted procurement, from purchase requests through supplier selection. I prototype ideas early and turn recurring needs into reusable patterns for the platform.

Early yearsJunior Usability Expert → UX DesignerApr 2011 – May 2015

I started as a junior usability expert: user interviews, usability tests and clickable prototypes in Axure, back in 2011, yes, Axure 🙂 Later I worked in studios and product teams on web apps and internal tools.

CASE STUDIES

Textmagic · B2B · SaaS

From manual follow-ups to connected flows across SMS, email and contacts, letting teams automate repetitive work

See liveRead case study

Textmagic · B2B · SaaS

Growing an SMS inbox to support social channels and BYOC without extra clutter

See liveRead case study

AquaVoice · Native Mac app · B2C

Making onboarding clearer and the value of voice dictation visible from the first screen

Read case study

Textmagic · B2B · SaaS

Adding customer email as tickets inside an established SaaS platform

Case study coming soon

MySupply · B2B · SaaS

A catalog-aware AI assistant that helps buyers find the right products faster

See liveCase study coming soon

CallFactory · Web app · B2B

Evolving a call-routing tool into a platform ready for new modules and workflows

Case study coming soon

Limepay · Payments

Giving transactions, payouts and invoices a clearer place to live

Read case study

Envy · Finance · SaaS

Preparing a finance tool for new agencies without disrupting familiar workflows

Read case study

MySupply · B2B · SaaS

Improving core procurement workflows with clearer demands, filters and search

See liveCase study coming soon

CallFactory · Marketing website · B2B

Phone numbers back at the centre of the website, with a simpler path to setup

Case study coming soon

HOW I WORK

  1. 01

    Understand the product

    I look at the product’s core details: customers, metrics and competitors. I identify friction points and possible ways to address them.

  2. 02

    Frame the problem

    I usually work with four sources of product information: customers, metrics, internal product strategy and competitors. Connecting these sources helps me find and frame real product problems.

  3. 03

    Try a direction

    I map the workflow and build quick prototypes to test the risky parts with customers. I also sync with the product and engineering teams to align with product strategy and technical constraints.

  4. 04

    Make it fit

    I design the full path, from the core flow to edge cases and other parts of the product that a new feature might affect. I sync with the product and engineering teams at key milestones. I also prepare reusable patterns so the new work feels like part of the existing product.

  5. 05

    Learn and iterate

    I stay close to the engineering team and users after launch. I check the metrics and user feedback, then use what I learn in the next iteration.

TOOLS I WORK WITH

Figma

Figma has been my main design tool for years. It’s indispensable for large products with a lot of legacy. Lately, I’ve been pairing it with AI to speed up the work inside Figma and carry the designs into working products.

Codex

Codex helps me take those ideas further: research, working prototypes and AI-assisted implementation that I can keep improving after launch.

GitHub

My work no longer ends with a Figma link. I use GitHub issues and pull requests to follow implementation, review changes and see what actually ships.

Other tools

The stack depends on the product. I bring in other tools when they help me understand a problem, test an idea or get it in front of users.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

“Vitaly has a strong product mindset and knows how to simplify complex SaaS systems.”

Instead of pushing visual changes for their own sake, he helped us improve clarity, usability, and long-term maintainability of the product.

Marta van DijkProduct Manager at CallFactory

“Vitaly thinks strategically, always considering the bigger picture and the long-term impact”

I was working with Vitaly for over a decade, and throughout these years, I've been consistently impressed by his ability to shape and drive the product vision.

Dmitri StanulevichVP of Engineering at Textmagic

“Our macOS app became much clearer after the research and design work Vitaly did for us.”

For our macOS app, the dashboard was a tricky area. After Vitaly’s research and design work, it finally started to feel native, focused, and aligned.

Jack McIntireCo-founder at Aqua Voice

“We needed help with a complex SaaS product, and Vitaly brought clarity without overcomplicating things.”

Working with Vitaly helped us rethink our product structure, simplify key flows, and move forward without a risky or unnecessary redesign.

Josh BarkerCEO at CIL